Starting A Compost Pile

I knew that when I decided to grow my own garden my success hinged on the condition of my soil. That's why starting a compost pile was on the top of my list.

At the time, I was a complete compost 'newbie'. Now, I feel qualified to talk about about what I did right and where I would change things in the future.

So, this is my quick start guide to the 9 steps you need to take to start your own compost pile. Of course, this is my first compost pile so I don't pretend to be any kind of expert in the area. But it's a good start I think.

If you have more experience or insight I'd appreciate you passing them along. In the meantime I'll keep you posted on my (on my pile's) progress.

1.  Pick the site 

Pick a fairly level site out of direct sunlight and also avoiding roof drainage.  One of the main points of a compost pile is to build up a bit of heat to 'cook' and breakdown the ingredients but to also stay moist enough that it doesn't cook off the good microbes that are breaking everything down.

2.  Decide on type of compost pile

If you are a minimalist you can go with building a good ol' fashioned pile.  No structure needed.  Just start piling.  Some gardeners opt to build a shallow pit and then start piling.  It's really not important - just start no matter how you do it.

Your next option is to use scraps around your house or property to build a crude structure to hold your material.  This is what I opted for.  It allowed me to use up material that otherwise may have went in the burn pile.

I simply nailed together some scrap 2x4's and build a sort of pallet structure that will encompass a 3 foot wide by 3 foot tall structure and to make sure it's spaced enough to provide ample air to get through.  You can also line this with chicken wire to keep the content in as they break down and become smaller.  Or, better yet, simply build a structure out of chicken wire.

Your final option is to buy a store-bought composting bin or tumbler.  I've hear good things about them, although this is second hand as I've never used one myself.  Depending on your budget this may be something you'll want to consider.

3.  Get the right recipe

Ideally, a compost pile should be roughly a 50/50 mix of greens and browns.  Where greens are composter's slang for nitrogen rich products and browns are carbon-rich products.

Your browns could include leaves, twigs, small wood chips, newspaper and cardboard.  Greens could include fruit and vegetable scraps, grass, coffee grounds and even egg shells.

4.  Avoid the wrong recipe

Just as there are ideal things to put in a compost pile there are also some products you should avoid.  Here's a short list:  certain leaves (like some bay leaves) have phytotoxins, large chunks of wood which are too large to efficiently break down.

More importantly, you should avoid animal products.  That means no meat, oil, animal waste (stinky), butter, cheese and milk.  Simply put, they're too hard to break down and will slow down the microbes that you are trying to speed up.

5.  Turn it on

Really, a compost pile shouldn't be that much work once you get it up and going.  I'm a little more of a control freak so I recommend turning the compost pile once a week or so.

My tool of choice for this: a pitchfork.  But, whatever works for you is OK.

**SIDENOTE**

If you can add loose, lightweight material it will help the microbes in your compost pile as they need the oxygen pockets from the loose materials.

Also, if your pile starts to get sort of a rotten egg smell, it's very likely your pile needs to be turned.  Actually, it means your pile is putting off a bit of sulfur which usually means the microbes in your pile aren't getting enough oxygen.

6.  Check the Moisture

Remember back when you picked the site for your pile and made sure it wasn't directly under your roof eaves so you weren't getting the pile too wet?  Well, you also want to make sure your pile doesn't get too dry or you'll kill the microbes.

Your best bet is to go off feel.

It should be moist - not wet.  Think of a damp, wrung out sponge or cloth.  That's about what your pile should feel like.

If it's not add some water by 'misting' it.  You don't want to dump water on it.  And, if you get too much water on it simply turn the pile to work the moisture in.

Another way to test is to hold a handful of your compost and squeeze.  You shouldn't get water coming out.  Again, if you do, turn the pile a little bit.

7.  Check the temperature

While anal-retentive folks may opt for a soil thermometer.  I simply go by feel.

In short, it should feel warm.  There should be some heat coming from the pile.  You may even notice a bit of steam on chilly days.

If you do use a soil thermometer ideally it should register anywhere from just over 100 degrees F to just under 150 degrees F.

8.  Is it done?

If you've ever seen good compost you kind of 'know it when you see it'.

Dark, rich soil with no large chunks.  Also, it has a distinctive, rich smell.  If you really want to see if it's done you can try planting a few grass seeds in it.  Normally, you should see sprouts in a week.  If not, you may want to give it some more time.

9.  Compost etiquette

Since researching how to start my first compost pile I've come across some pretty opinionated views.  One of which, is you should keep it 'pure'.

For example, some of the purists recommend NOT putting in any weeds at all.  But, the more I read the more I came across gardeners who had good luck putting in weeds.  The theory is, it shouldn't matter because if you pile is getting hot enough it should kill off the weed seeds.

In the end, I'm going to be OK with putting in weeds.  But that choice is yours.

Also, some folks adamantly refuse putting in any animal products.  Almost always a good idea but in one case, say animal bones, I think you're OK.

Again, your choice, but bones are full of minerals and other good things.  I've decided to give it a try.

Let me know how your compost pile turns out or if you have any input on compost piles let me know.